Cooking dinner for your family can be a thankless task. First, you need to make sure it’s delicious (or at least edible) and then, if you’re like most parents, you want it to be fast and super easy.
If you also have a tight budget, the challenge is three-fold. Delicious, easy and cost effective all at once can be a massive task. But it’s not really that difficult if you remember budget meals are no less fabulous than meals that feature expensive extras.
As a mum of three always-ravenous teenage boys, I have a few go-to meals that get devoured time and time again – shepherd’s pie, roast chicken & vegies, and my ‘famous’ (at least in our street) coconut lemongrass fish casserole.
Caro Webster, author of Caro and Co: Helping kids find wonder in the everyday told 9Honey there are several short cuts parents can use to keep to their grocery shopping budget
“Buy the cheap cuts of meat and consider cheaper ‘unknown’ fish rather than the more glamorous salmon and trout. Some of the cheaper cuts of fish and meat are better and tastier than the more well-known expensive ones,” Webster explains.
“Try to cook in batches and freeze so you’re not left short and tempted to buy take out or go the expensive corner deli at the last minute. Whenever possible make your own sauces and dressing. It is simple, they can be made in batches (cost effective) and taste a bazillion times better than the store bought varieties.”
Webster suggests saving up for one “hero” in each dish.
“So, if you’re making a salad, seek out heirloom tomatoes rather than the supermarket watery and tasteless variety. They will cost more but they will literally transform your salad,” she says.
An interesting exercise is when you literally have just $20 in your wallet and you need to feed a family of five. When this happens to me, I turn to my ‘Quick Chicken Hot Pot’ – all you need to buy is some chicken, a bunch of spinach, a can of tomatoes, garlic, onion and either Tamari or Szechuan sauce to add extra flavour. Throw it all in a pot with water and season to taste. It’s delicious and won’t cost you more than $20.
A great vegetarian option my kids love is what I call ‘Quick Bean Soup.’ You just need an onion, two carrots, a zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower florets, two tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can refried beans and a tablespoon each of cumin and oregano. You literally throw the lot in the pot with about 5 cups of water, boil, simmer and stir. Cheap, easy and delicious.
When it comes to finding cheap and easy snacks for school lunches, Healthy Life nutritionist Carmen Alvarado says we’ve come a long way from the days of peanut butter sandwiches.
“These days, one in 20 children are affected by a food allergy, nuts are a big no-no and bread isn’t always an option. A great idea for a before-school smoothie is to put a banana in the blender with a spoonful of cacao and chia, a splash of coconut water and some avocado. Milk or yoghurt can be added for any kids that don’t have problems with dairy,” Alvarado says.
“Protein balls have become a perennial favourite and they can be whipped up quickly and easily with a few ingredients in the pantry. All it takes is some seeds and protein. You can also add hemp which is known as the world’s most nutritionally complete food source and set to be this year’s most talked about lunchbox item after only being officially legalised late last year.”
Caro Webster also suggests using little extras in your meals to ‘plump them out.’ For example, adding lentils to a bolognaise sauce will make the final dish more filling.
“Anything that can plump out a meal are your best friend; rice, cous cous, quinoa and pasta. Spend a little extra here on quality and always go the healthier option such as brown rice, which is more filling anyway,” Webster says.
“Don’t forget frozen veg are much cheaper and have been proven to be (in some cases) just as nutritionally good for you as fresh. Think about buying/saving with frozen veg every now and then.”
Parents can also check out Jack Monroe’s blog, Cooking on a Bootstrap. From ‘Black Bean and Peanut Stew’ to ‘Red Wine and Mushroom Risotto,’ you’re bound to find a handful of family favourite recipes.
Cooking dinner for your family can be a thankless task. First, you need to make sure it’s delicious (or at least edible) and then, if you’re like most parents, you want it to be fast and super easy.
If you also have a tight budget, the challenge is three-fold. Delicious, easy and cost effective all at once can be a massive task. But it’s not really that difficult if you remember budget meals are no less fabulous than meals that feature expensive extras.
As a mum of three always-ravenous teenage boys, I have a few go-to meals that get devoured time and time again – shepherd’s pie, roast chicken & vegies, and my ‘famous’ (at least in our street) coconut lemongrass fish casserole.
Caro Webster, author of Caro and Co: Helping kids find wonder in the everyday told 9Honey there are several short cuts parents can use to keep to their grocery shopping budget
“Buy the cheap cuts of meat and consider cheaper ‘unknown’ fish rather than the more glamorous salmon and trout. Some of the cheaper cuts of fish and meat are better and tastier than the more well-known expensive ones,” Webster explains.
“Try to cook in batches and freeze so you’re not left short and tempted to buy take out or go the expensive corner deli at the last minute. Whenever possible make your own sauces and dressing. It is simple, they can be made in batches (cost effective) and taste a bazillion times better than the store bought varieties.”
Webster suggests saving up for one “hero” in each dish.
“So, if you’re making a salad, seek out heirloom tomatoes rather than the supermarket watery and tasteless variety. They will cost more but they will literally transform your salad,” she says.
An interesting exercise is when you literally have just $20 in your wallet and you need to feed a family of five. When this happens to me, I turn to my ‘Quick Chicken Hot Pot’ – all you need to buy is some chicken, a bunch of spinach, a can of tomatoes, garlic, onion and either Tamari or Szechuan sauce to add extra flavour. Throw it all in a pot with water and season to taste. It’s delicious and won’t cost you more than $20.
A great vegetarian option my kids love is what I call ‘Quick Bean Soup.’ You just need an onion, two carrots, a zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower florets, two tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can refried beans and a tablespoon each of cumin and oregano. You literally throw the lot in the pot with about 5 cups of water, boil, simmer and stir. Cheap, easy and delicious.
When it comes to finding cheap and easy snacks for school lunches, Healthy Life nutritionist Carmen Alvarado says we’ve come a long way from the days of peanut butter sandwiches.
“These days, one in 20 children are affected by a food allergy, nuts are a big no-no and bread isn’t always an option. A great idea for a before-school smoothie is to put a banana in the blender with a spoonful of cacao and chia, a splash of coconut water and some avocado. Milk or yoghurt can be added for any kids that don’t have problems with dairy,” Alvarado says.
“Protein balls have become a perennial favourite and they can be whipped up quickly and easily with a few ingredients in the pantry. All it takes is some seeds and protein. You can also add hemp which is known as the world’s most nutritionally complete food source and set to be this year’s most talked about lunchbox item after only being officially legalised late last year.”
Caro Webster also suggests using little extras in your meals to ‘plump them out.’ For example, adding lentils to a bolognaise sauce will make the final dish more filling.
“Anything that can plump out a meal are your best friend; rice, cous cous, quinoa and pasta. Spend a little extra here on quality and always go the healthier option such as brown rice, which is more filling anyway,” Webster says.
“Don’t forget frozen veg are much cheaper and have been proven to be (in some cases) just as nutritionally good for you as fresh. Think about buying/saving with frozen veg every now and then.”
Parents can also check out Jack Monroe’s blog, Cooking on a Bootstrap. From ‘Black Bean and Peanut Stew’ to ‘Red Wine and Mushroom Risotto,’ you’re bound to find a handful of family favourite recipes.
The 9Honey Mums discuss the value of money in their podcast. Listen here:
Healthy eating doesn’t need to be expensive and there are so many ways to feed your family if you get clever about budgeting. Try and do one big supermarket shop a month so you have all the basics in your cupboard. Also get into the habit of comparing prices and buy home brand as often as possible.
If you want to get the kids involved, ask them what their top five favourite meals are, and work out a way to buy the most cost effective ingredients – if you want to get very organised, write down your favourite recipes in a journal. You never know, one day in the distant future that journal could be passed down to your own grand kids and they’ll be learning easy budget cooking tips from you!
